Compression apparatus for tire-shoe wrappings.



R. ROWLEY & J. J. OOOMBER. COMPRESSION APPARATUS FOR TIRE SHOEWRAPPINGS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

IIIIII UNIKTED snares mama neuron.

ROBERT ROWLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND JAMES J. COOMBER, OF JERSEY CITY,NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO RUBBER COMPANY OFAMERICA,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

COMPRESSION APPARATUS FOR TIRE-SHOE WRAPPINGS.

Application filed August 4, 1909. serial No. 511,189.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT RowLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, and JAMES J. Coounnn, a citizen of the United States, residing atJersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Compression Apparatusfor Tire-Shoe Wrappings, of which the following is. a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. r

This invention is a device useful in the manufacture of clencher shoesfor tensioning a tubular fabric wrapping (applied to the shoes duringprocess of construction,) tightly over the exterior rubber tread and itssides and down into and on the walls of the annular, lateral clenchergrooves with which the shoes are oppositely provided.

Nobody, prior to our invention, so far as we know, has either made adevice for this purpose, or so operated the wrapping. Our

new method is claimed in our application Serial No. 511,188, of evendate of execution and filing.

In the drawings, illustrating the principle of our invention and thebest mode now known to us of applying that principle, Figure 1 is across-section of the shoe, the wrapping and our new apparatus, on line11 of Fig. 2, which shows a side elevation, on a smaller scale, of whatis shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the carcass 1 made of alternating plies of canvas andrubber, and the therewith assembled exterior tread 2 of rubber, are oftypical clencher tire shoe formation, being made with the usual beads 3and lateral, annular clencher grooves 4: above the beads, one groove onone side and the other on the other side of the shoe.

The wrapping 5,a strip of canvas,in accordance with our method is woundentirely around the shoe, in contact therewith cxteriorly at all pointsexcept on the under sides of the beads. This arrangement of the wrappingis new with us, and involves the The assembled carcass and rubber treadare mounted on the annular mandrel M shown with an interior annularprojection m on its inner periphery. This projection is not essential.Two bead-supports B, are mounted at each side of the projection m, bywhich they are spaced apart. The exterior diameter of the bead-supportsis sufficiently less than the exterior diameter of the mandrels wallportions opposed to the outer peripheral walls of the bead-supports, toreceive the beads of the shoe between such opposed surfaces. The outerperipheral walls I) of the bead-supports may be of any desired contour,according to the desired contour of the opposed surfaces of the beads.They are shown slightly dished. A pair of compression-plates C, C ismounted laterally of the mandrel projection andbead-supports, and theseplates are adapted to be squeezed toward each other and the intermediatemandrel projection and supports by any suitable means, such, forexample, as the bolts f and nuts f. -Each plate G is provided, at itsperipheral inner edge, with a lateral annular projection C of a contourcorresponding to the contour of the clencher grooves in the shoe sides.The function of these projections C is. to stretch the temporarywrapping over the treads peripheral and side portions and also down intoand upon the walls of the clencher grooves, as the plates 0 are squeezedto gether. This prevents the squeezing outwardly of the rubber of thetwo sides, and the consequent loosening of the rubber at places on thecarcass that is characteristicof older methods. It results in theuniform production of' firsts without production of seconds. I

It is not to bev understood that it is necessary to provide the mandrelM with any interior rib or any means for limiting the inward movement,if any, of the bead-supporting rings B. In practice, the rib maybedispensed with or made separate from the mandrel and integral with therings B, for exneously u on ample. Nor is it necessary that. theclamping plates 0 contact at any point with the wrapping on the outersides of the rings B.

at we have shown is a convenient embodiment of our apparatus. Thefunction of the spaces wherein the beads 'or margins are contained ismerel toretain the marginal parts and so hol the shoe in position orwrapping. The walls of these spaces do not act compressively on the shoemargins; but when the inwardly-projecting, lip-like projections C of theplates 0 press simultagrooves o the shoe exposed except at its margins,the wrapper is forced inwardly, straining the. rubber of the shoeinwardly toward the axial center of the shoe and compressively forcingthe margins into their containing spaces. When the lips C are pushed insufiicientl the so wrapped and strained shoe is exposed to an open heat,that is, to live steam for vulcanization.

As will be understood by all skilled in the art, our apparatus, thewrapping and assemed carcass and tire, are put in a vulcanizing chamber,but it is a factor of our invention that by our system only one heat isnecessary.

After vulcanization, the apparatus and wrapping are removed. Theexterior surface of the shoe, excepting the outer surfaces-of the beadsat 6, having been tightly bound on the mandrel by the wrapping, are ofuniform appearance and condition, without pits or irregularities; andthe fact that the greater part of the shoe, especially above and betweenthe beads, is unconfined by metal or anything excepting the fabricwrapping, prevents the blistering and sponging, due to vaporization ofcontained moisture, common to systems where the assembled carcasses andtreads are inclosed in molds for vulcanization, and resulting in aloosening up of the shoe on the carcass or of the plies of the carcass,to a greater or less extent. Such loosening decreases the strength anddurability of the shoes.

The outer peripheral surfaces of the beadsupports are shaped conformablyto the opposed contour of the shoe beads (which, with the rest of theshoe, are relatively soft as compared with .their condition aftervulcanizat1on,) and support and maintain the pre-shaped beads ormarginal portions in the shape initially given them and which they areto have after vulcanization, during the application of the wrappingcompression-plates; the outer surfaces of the bead supports then holdingthe wrapplng, which has a purchase at the inner periphery of the mandreland bead-supports, out of deforming engagement with, the bead heels. Tothis end, the outer lateral surfaces of the the wrapper opposed to the'bead-supports, in the .form of apparatus shown, are substantiallytangent to the bead heels, and constitute a' means for directing thewrapping past the outer, inner corners of the bead or margin, so thatthe wrapping, when strained inwardly into the clencher grooves and atthe same time strained inwardly over the tread and sides of the shoe, iskept out .of such contact with the bead heels that its outward movementcannot operate to pull or bend them outwardly and thereby deform theclencher ooves; or, cause the annular rubber rein orcements 7 to beforced outwardly tween the adjacent duck plies and so separate them. Ourapparatus is adapted to secure one quality of vulcanization (that due tothe open cure) from marginal portion to marginal portion of the shoewhile the shoe is in a highly condensed and compacted state,froI'rrmarginal portion to marginal portion. Our apparatus functions insuch wise as to prevent deformation of the soft, pre-shaped shoe whenthe tension is applied to the wrapping, and eliminates thatobjectionable quality or degree of vulcanization which arises when thevulcanizing heat passes through metal to the shoe,except at the innersurfaces of the beads, where such quality of vulcanization is leastobjectionable. From bead heel to bead heel, the shoe produced is of onequality of cure, and without the shoulders around its sides, that are avisible characteristic of many prior makes of tires, the shouldersinvolving a structural weakness due to the junction of an opencuredtread with shoe sides cured by the passage of heat through metal; andthe sh0ulders being due to the compression of the outer peripheral edgesof side plates directly or indirectly contacting with the shoe sides.

Our invention may be embodied in forms difierent from that shown, ifdesired.

What we claim is and wedge-wise be;

ratus, the combination with a tubular, annular wrapping; a rigidpurchase therefor; exterior wrapplng-tension means operable to strainthe wrapping on itspurchase, to constrictthe wrapping on a containedpreshaped shoe, and thereby to compact the shoe both circumferentiallyand transversely from marginal portion to marginal portion; within thewrap ing, a ri 'd, annular, shoesupporting man rel and a so rigid beadsupports, one at one side and the other at the other side of themandrel, and having an outer peripheral corner portion to support acorner portion of a pre-shaped shoe marginor bead; said exteriortensioning means being mounted to engage the wrap ing oppositely andalso outwardly of t e outer peripheral corners of the bead supports; and

means for directing the Wrapping, when ten- In testimony whereof we havehereunto sion is applied to it, past the corners of the afiixed ourrespective signatures, 1n presence 10 beads or shoe marginal portions toprevent of two Witnesses.

deformation of the marginal portions; said ROBERT ROWLEY. tubularWrapping passing between said eX- JAMES J. COOMBER. terior tension meansand said outer periph- Witnesses:

eral portions of the bead supports Within E. S. BEACH,

the Wrapping. F. E. NARES.

